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2024 Membership Letter

joshchandler Uncategorized

Dear Team Member

As always, we hope this letter finds you in good health. The family of Red Hawk wishes you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season. Hopefully, the future brings you and your family much joy. Hard to believe it is that time of the year again for our annual membership drive. It surely helps us to keep going during the winter. We want to thank you for your support and continued business throughout the year!

Please give me your attention for a moment. I want to dispel all the rumors that are circulating. We know you and most of the community are concerned about the future of the golf course. What I can tell you is what I know and what I don’t. Michelle and I entered into a purchase agreement with a company out of Boston. The agreement is contingent on the buyer’s ability to obtain needed permits and a few other conditions while doing their due diligence. A time table and process that will take at least 18 months, the company can exercise their option anytime to back out of the agreement. It’s a long agreement and I won’t bore you with unnecessary details.

Let’s talk about your concerns and what’s important to you. Your golf course will be exactly the same throughout the golf season of 2024. And then there is a possibility the property could become a nine-hole golf course if the company proceeds and purchases the club. We want to be completely honest and transparent with our membership and also the community. I will be glad to answer any questions you have regarding the future of the course. Just let me know.

Michelle and I are concerned about the golf course being lost for the community. After sacrificing much in the last 18 years, the club is part of our DNA and we realize how important it is to a large segment of our population. The company has promised us that the property will always be a golf course. Their business model and philosophy is to be a good steward and promote goodwill for our area. They are genuinely committed in keeping the good graces of our county. It’s part of their mission statements. That being said, we don’t want to create any ambiguity and will repeat the fact that the course will remain the same next year regardless if they purchase the property.

After giving the locals the opportunity for more than two years to purchase the golf course, we felt that this was the best option for our family and my well-being. Me wanting to slow down and work less hours, this was the only viable option. Please don’t be sad, this will be a good thing. Hopefully I can still be active with the course and do some of the things I always wanted to do to make the facility better. On one other personal note, Michelle and I aren’t moving back to Florida, contrary to the rumors. We love it here and plan to grow older in Southern Illinois.

In conclusion, I just want to repeat the fact that the course will not change next season and hopefully we’ll have another successful year. Thank you for your time and understanding.

Sincerely,

-Dan and Michelle

2023 Membership Letter

joshchandler Uncategorized

Dear Red Hawk Member,  

We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. We wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday. As you know, since the pandemic, running the business has been a challenge. With trying to obtain new co-workers and the uncertainty of the economy has made it more demanding. Hopefully our Grille can go back to our old hours of operation. The overall health of the golf course is strong and the future looks brighter.

I know some of you are worried about the sale of the course and the possibility of a new owner. I get weekly inquiries about the club from prospective buyers around the world. Believe it or not, we’re not happy with their vision or direction of the club. We’ve worked too hard to see these drastic changes.

Notwithstanding, we hope someone local with our same dreams and ideas will step up and purchase the club. I would love to still be involved in a smaller role. But of course, that would be up to the new owners. However, Michelle and I have to do what’s best for our family. But whatever happens with the sale, we promise it won’t affect your 2023 membership. It would be similar to 2012 when we bought out the Travelsteads.

Moving to a small town, we learned quickly about small town rumors. Michelle and I plan on staying in Southern Illinois after the sale to be close to our girls. And being a small part of this community has always made us glad.

Please talk to me openly if you have any questions. Most of you have my cell phone or know someone who does, so don’t hesitate to call.

In closing, we are going to keep the club moving in a positive direction and hopefully leave it better than we found it. Times have changed, but we still must consider those who come after us.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

– Dan & Michelle

 

November 2021 Letter

joshchandler Uncategorized

Dear Member,

We hope all is well and everyone is staying healthy. It seems like we’re heading to the back nine; hopefully, we’ll finish strong. We have to stay the course and hang in there. Nationally, the golf industry has been on an upswing with the advent of the pandemic. Hopefully it will continue to trickle down to rural America and Southern Illinois. Somehow, we always seem to survive.

Red Hawk has had a good year thanks in part to all of your support. The golf course is in great shape and the greens are rolling super. A huge thank you to Ray, Pete, Tyler, Johnnie, Steve Barber, Mike, and Shorty. I think after 16 years we finally have it down to a science. I would especially like to recognize Gayland Chancey and Donnie “Shorty” Kellerman for all their guidance and wisdom over the years. They have given selflessly of their time to keep this golf course going. They are like surrogate fathers to me!

Michelle and I are currently trying to sell the golf course and are looking for an owner that would continue our vision. We would also consider some sort of majority buyout or investment. A local buyout option may be ideal so the course could continue with locally decided improvements. No matter what the future holds, we will do our very best to make sure this situation doesn’t adversely affect your membership or your access to the course. We consider Southern Illinois to be our home and I would be happy to assist the new owners in some capacity. I’ve learned a lot in the last sixteen years and I feel I would be a good resource.

This offseason, we will market the facility aggressively. So please don’t be surprised if you see a big sign or an ad on the internet. Our annual membership will continue as usual. If a sale happens, we will pro-rate the membership revenue for the new ownership. Regardless of what happens, we hope we can still implement some of our ideas for the club. In conclusion, we hope to preserve the Red Hawk tradition and quality golf course. And we want to be honest and transparent to our local members. We wish this golf course success even after our time here is done. Please don’t hesitate to call me at (618) 318-6939 with any concerns and questions. Have a great holiday and we are looking forward to seeing you soon!

Dan & Michelle Breslin

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